Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-17
a VIGOROUS PIONEER PREACHER.

His Experiences of Circuit Riding Days
Many Strange Experiences IN His Check
cred Career.
says the Pittsburg Commentaries
preached at the Bingham Street Metho-
dist Episcopal church yesterday morning.
Rev. Mr.. Weekly is wonderful man in
many respects. He is now in his nine
! tieth year and yet vigorous man. "I
never was sick day in my life, and for
fifty-five years have not missed worship
ing on the Sabbath day with the people of
God, sometimes in the cities, and often in
the woods, st the street corners or at
some crossroads" He is one OF the
| pioneer preachers west OF the Allegheny
mountains. He WAS born on the oath day
OF August, 1898, at Happy Greek, Va,
and said the venerable minister: ''I have
| been happy ever since" The home of
! his infancy was on the Western slope of
the Blue Ridge and looked cut over the
beautiful valley of the Shenandoah.
| When he wSs eight years old lis father
determined to move to Ohio, which was
then the far west. The trip was
made in q four-horse wagon, aud sl-
though SO young at the time the Incl
dents OF the trip are i'll wildly remem-
bsred by him. AS they were descending
the slope of Laurel Hill to BeesOntoWn
they campe6 on the hillside, and next
morning three men rode into their camp,
and he remembers their congratulstipg
his father on the help he was soon to
have, their being then six boys of them,
and before they lett gave each OF them
piece of money, which made them feel SIS
happy as kings. He first began to preach
in the days OF the circuit riders, and has
rode as much as 5000 miles on horseback
in year, and averaged 8 sermon for
every day in the year. In the winter of
1890, in Belmont county, Ohio, he
He first went to the trustees of
the church, but they refused on the
grounds that it Wss wrong to have school
on the Sabbath. But he was not to be
deferred, and secured the schoolhouse
and appointed the first Dag. When ne
arrived ali the children Of the neighbor-
hood were present, and not book among
them. The only adult present was the
worst character in the whole district.
He would get drunk and swear and cheat
whenever he got the chance. But gradU-
ally the parents began to drop in, and
before spring the Sunday-school was in
first class condition. While preaching
on circuit he met with many strange
experiences. The services were held
in ell manner CT places, often in
summer IN the open air, in senool-
houses, and very often in private houses.
One time, when holding meeting in q
private house in West Virginia, in the
middle of the sermon, good-sized pork
er walked calmly into the room and lay
down before the fire. AS he began to get
good and comfortably warm, according
to pig nature, he would stretch and grun
in ecstatic bliss, and every now and sgaiz
would put out one foot and scratch him
self, to the amusement of all the worship
pers. In 1858 Mr.. Weekly came to Pitts
ourS and YVES pastor of the Methodist
Episcopal church on the South side, which
then stood up st the foot OF the hill,
on what was then Center street. He re-
NAMED there but tWo years, as inst was
the limit then allowed by the rules of the
church. Mr. Weekly's home Is now in
Berlin, Somerset county. Last Thursday
he rode out to the point where the Old
national road crosses the Youghiogheny
river, the points where, eighty-one years
ago, he crossed when they were on their
way to OHIO. "I wanted to see if it
looked anything like it used to-" he said,
SHUT find it altogether changed, and
would not recognize it as the same place"